Ossian Collection > Morison's edition of the Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

212 A CRITICAL DISSERTATION ON
in another country, at the diftance of many years, and after
all that race of men who had been the aftors were gone off
the ftage | we fliall find the objection in a great meafure ob-
viated. In fo rude an age, when no written records were
known, when tradition was loofe, and accuracy of any kind
little attended to, what was great and heroic in one gene-
ration, eafily ripened into the marvellous in the next.
The natural reprefentation of human characters in an epic
poem 13 highly eflential to its merit : And in refped of this
there can be no doubt of Homer's excelling all the heroic
poets who have ever wrote. But though Ofiiaa be much in-
ferior to Homer in this article, he will be found to be equal
at leaft, if not fuperioi, to Virgil ; and has indeed given all
the difplay of human nature which the fimple occurrences
of his times could be expefted to furnifli. No dead unifor-
mity of character prevails in Fingal ; but on the contrary
the principal charafters are not only clearly diftinguiQiedj
but fomctimes artfully contrafted fo as to illuflrate each
other. Ollian's heroes are like Komer's, all brave ; but
their bravery,- like thofe of I-Iomer's too, is of different
kinds. For inftance ; the prudent, the fedate, the modefl
and circumfpedt Connal, is finely oppofed to the prefump-
tuous, rafh, overbearing, but gallant and generous Calmar,
Calmar hurries Cu'chuUiu into adion by his temerity ; and
when he fees the bad efFed: of his counfel?, he will not fur-
vive the difgrace. Connal, like another Illy/Tes, attends
Cuchullin to his retreat, counfels, and comforts him under
his misfortune. The fierce, the proud, and high fpirited
Swaran is admirably contrafted w^ith the calm, the mode-
rate, and generous Fingal. The charafter of Ofcar is a
favourite one throughout the whole poems. The amiable
warmth of the young warrior; his eager impetuofity in the
day of adtior. ; his paffion for fame'; his fubmiffion to his
father;